The president of Unifor Local 444 says there is work that has to be done inside the Windsor Assembly Plant to make sure it's ready for the return of the third shift.
Stellantis announced Tuesday afternoon that the third shift will return to the minivan assembly plant in the first quarter of 2026.
Unifor Local 444 President James Stewart says there's a lot of preparation work that is now taking place, but it takes time.
"The third shift now is where they do a lot of their maintenance, so now they have to reconfigure it and make sure the maintenance can be done on shift," he says. "There's a lot of work; you don't see our skilled trades, but they do an excellent job at that. That's the kind of thing they're looking at right now."
A company statement to AM800 News says, "In anticipation of increased demand for the products built at the Windsor Assembly Plant, including all versions of the Chrysler Pacifica and the new SIXPACK-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack and R/T models, Stellantis confirms that it will be returning the plant to a three-shift operation in early 2026, honouring a commitment made during 2023 Unifor negotiations."
The third shift was eliminated in July 2020, resulting in approximately 1,500 job losses.
Stewart says they don't have an exact date on when the third shift will resume in the first quarter of 2026.
"I can tell you we expect it as soon as we can. I know this; it's September, and I know it takes time to introduce a third shift," he says. "Not only do they have to make sure the lines fit the third shift, but they also have to make sure they have the manpower. That's not an easy and quick process."
Stewart says there are still a lot of conversations they need to have with the company around the next steps in the process, including how many people will be hired for the third shift.
"So it all depends. It could be as many as 1,000 workers for Windsor-Essex. There's a lot of hiring that's going to be happening," he says. "We're going to look at it and make sure it's done correctly and we have the workforce in place for the launch. There's going to be a lot of conversations around that."
Unifor Local 444 represents roughly 4,500 workers at the assembly plant and 1,250 workers at the feeder plants.